Completed in January 1921 as steam merchant Manistee for Elders & Fyffes Ltd, London. At 14.14 hours on 7 Jul 1940, the unescorted Manistee was shelled by U-99 (Kretschmer) southwest of Ireland, after a G7e torpedo missed the ship at 14.01 hours. The ship returned fire from two guns and forced the U-boat to break off the attack. No hits were scored in the gun duel.

On 14 Sep 1940, requisitioned by the Admiralty and commissioned in December 1940 as the ocean boarding vessel (OBV) HMS Manistee (F 104), armed with two 6in, one 12pdr and one AA guns.

Notes on event

At 22.42 hours on 23 Feb 1941, U-107 fired a spread of two torpedoes at HMS Manistee (F 104) (LtCdr Eric Haydn Smith, RNR) south of Iceland and scored a hit in the engine room. The ship had escorted the convoy OB-288 until it was dispersed at 21.00 hours the same day. She was also attacked by the Italian submarine Bianchi (Giovannini), which fired a torpedo at 22.56 hours, claimed a hit in the stern from a distance of 600 metres and then continued to chase other ships of the convoy.

At 22.58 hours, U-107 fired two coups de grâce that missed because the ship suddenly continued. Also a stern torpedo fired at 23.42 hours missed because it was a surface-runner. The U-boat began a long chase of the zigzagging ship and fired two torpedoes at 07.58 hours on 24 February. One of them hit in the stern and caused the ship to sink in 58°55N/20°50W. HMS Churchill (I 45) (Cdr G.R. Cousins, RN) was ordered to search for survivors, but found none. The commander, 18 officers and 122 ratings were lost.